Offline access to Gmail, Docs, and Calendar a boost for Chromebooks

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Yes, the Samsung Series 5 Chromebook briefly sat atop Amazon’s best sellers list, but for the most part the general public still doesn’t see the point of a laptop that is seriously handicapped when an internet connection isn’t available. When your Chromebook is offline, you can’t do much more than browse through the locally-saved files you crammed into its paltry internal storage. At least the media player lets you watch movies and listen to music.

But there’s no other application functionality — at least there wasn’t, until today. Google has finally re-enabled offline access to Gmail, and Google Calendar and Docs will be following suit by the end of the week.

This time around Google Gears isn’t required, but the Chrome browser is. Gmail offline has been released as a Chrome web app, which provides the boosted permissions and local storage allowance needed to cache your email for disconnected reading. It’s ready to install now from the Chrome Web Store, and it’s a must-have for your Chromebook.

With the app installed, you’ll be able to pull down messages while connected to a wireless access point rather than having to chew into your cellular data bandwidth. You’ll also finally be able to compose messages when stuck in a dead zone. Once Calendar and Docs go offline later this week, Chromebooks will gain additional productivity muscle that makes them a more compelling alternative to traditional laptops. Even if your boardroom has walls that could kill the reception on a bag phone, you’ll still be able to type key notes into Docs and sync them to the cloud once you return to your desk.

Third party apps will soon start following Google’s lead, too. Once Chrome Apps from key third-party developers like Evernote begin adding offline support, one of the Chromebook’s most common criticisms will be rendered moot. That, coupled with sliding prices will help boost sales. Rather conveniently, this boost in functionality and more reasonable pricing is all happening just in time for the 2011 holiday season.

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Anonymous

http://www.lovetoshopping.org

Maik Kulbe

Google is pretty clear about why there’s no Offline Gmail in other browsers – they are missing some features (like background pages). With that strategy they do, what they’ve become pretty good in the past – force other vendors to enhance their products further and thus making the web a feature-richer place. So no need to argue Google would be the bad bad boy in this game ;-)

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